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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25586896">One Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepassionatehumanoid/pseuds/thepassionatehumanoid'>thepassionatehumanoid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Mermaids, F/F, M/M, Mermaid!Nicky, Quynh centric, Reunions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:33:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,638</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25586896</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepassionatehumanoid/pseuds/thepassionatehumanoid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Quynh has lost track of time a long time ago. Drowning repeatedly would do that to a person.</p>
<p>After what seems a lifetime of despair and hopeless wishing between fleeting fragments of sanity, it came to a surprise one day when a sweeping shadow looms over her cursed casket, blocking her only source of illumination. At first she thinks it might be a curious shark that was knocking against her prison with its snout but it was only after she drowns twice and gains momentarily consciousness in between that she realises that a man or at least a man-shaped creature was trying to pry open the cracks in the iron cage.</p>
<p>- Or, the au where Quynh is rescued early on by mermaid!Nicky and things take a turn for the better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Quynh &amp; Nicolo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>612</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Rock Bottom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4 the other day &amp; my brain basically went- mermaid!Nicky would be so prettyyy. Somehow the idea has evolved into this. Also, a bit of warning for brief description of animal death below.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Quynh has lost track of time a long time ago. Drowning repeatedly would do that to a person.</p><p>The small part of her that has not yet been extinguish by the pressure and darkness of the ocean floor hopes that she would eventually be rescued by her love, though the endless torment she suffers constantly has begun to chipped at her faith overtime, like how her prison has slowly started to erode with the salt of the water around her.</p><p>In between the moments of consciousness where death has retreated from her once more, right before she is consumed yet again by the endlessness before her, Quynh could sometimes see the sunlight permeating through the shifting currents, casting rippling fractions of light throughout the water world, illuminating the fishes, turtles and even jelly fish that float aimlessly beyond her reach.</p><p>From where she lies at the bottom of the sand pit fate had casted her into, where sunlight doesn't quite touch her, and that should be a form of torture of itself, she makes the same vow to herself again and again- that she would never take the feeling of her own personal sun kissing her skin for granted ever again (if she manages to see her again that it is).</p><p>After what seems a lifetime of despair and hopeless wishing between fleeting fragments of sanity, it came to a surprise one day when a sweeping shadow looms over her cursed casket, blocking her only source of illumination. At first she thinks it might be a curious shark that was knocking against her prison with its snout but it was only after she drowns twice and gains momentarily consciousness in between that she realises that a man or at least a man-shaped creature was trying to pry open the cracks in the iron cage.</p><p>The last thought she had before drowning for a third (countless) time was how the man-shaped creature's hair shines vividly where it catches the filtered light against the backdrop of the abyss surrounding them.</p><p>Quynh comes to after her body expels out most of the water in her burning lungs, sucking sweet, sweet air for what feels like the first time in years and promptly dies again from exhaustion or something akin to it. Before succumbing to the numbness though, she manages to catch a full glimpse of her assumed rescuer, a being with wide, concern eyes the same colour of the very ocean she has finally been freed from.</p><p> </p><p>It takes her a week to get used to being on dry land again.</p><p>During the first couple of days, Quynh was absolutely bedridden and delirious, which has never happened to her before in her immortal life. Between flashes of awareness, there had occasionally been someone who fed her broth and fresh water, a person who had even kept her clean after bouts of relentless sweating from fever.</p><p>On the third day, when she finally, properly awoke, she is greeted by an old woman with kind eyes and deep laugh lines etched into the corners of her mouth, who bustles her way into the room she has been recuperating in. On the tray she carries lies another bowl of steaming broth and a clay cup containing some juice of some kind, which she patiently helps her drink after propping her up against the wall where the mattress had been wedge against.</p><p>While feeding her broth, the woman cheerfully introduces herself in accented English simply as Grandmother that they were in her home in Genova which she shares with her only grandson, Nicolo. The same grandson who had been the one who'd found her at the bottom of the ocean and subsequently freed her.</p><p>"He thought you were another mermaid, trapped in a twisted man-made torture device, left to starve and die alone in the dark," she mutters darkly. She feeds Quynh another spoonful of the fragrant broth and helps her wipe her chin where a little bit had dribbled down.</p><p>"So you can imagine his surprise when he realised that you weren't, in fact, a fellow mermaid but an actual human being," she says, chuckling a little to herself.</p><p>"Unless, the term human doesn't suit you, would you prefer to be called something else?" she asks almost absentmindedly as she clears the bowl and cutlery away on the tray.</p><p>Quynh tenses and warily stares at her, knowing she is still too weak to fight back and escape just yet. However, Grandmother just pats her hand soothingly and says plainly, "There, there. There's no need to get worked up over here. We'll keep your secret and my grandson's between the three of us, yes?"</p><p>Quynh blinks and belatedly realises that throughout the whole one-sided conversation, the woman has been referring her grandson as a mermaid like it was normal and not beyond the realm of children's fairy tales. Moreover, she seems to be taking in the fact that she could, had, survive endless drowning in stride.</p><p>She nods slowly and Grandmother gives her a crinkled smile. "Good, good. Rest now and maybe you can meet my Nicolo properly later".</p><p>Quynh nods again and falls asleep quickly, the broth and juice settling in her stomach comfortably, feeling somewhat safe for the first time in a long while since departing from Andromache.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, Quynh does meet Nicolo properly later that evening over shared supper in her guest room.</p><p>She learns that Nicolo is a young, man-passing being who inherited the same kind eyes from his grandmother and the seemingly unending well of generosity. Amusingly enough, she also learns that they share the same snorting laugh that's infectious even to her.</p><p>She thinks to herself that even Andromache would like them, and not just tolerate their presence for her sake.</p><p>She muses the jokes Yusuf would crack to earn more of their breathless laughter.</p><p>Inadvertently, her thoughts drift to Lykon, how he too had freely expressed his mirth with his entire demeanour just like the persons before her.</p><p>Eye openly enough, Nicolo really, truly is a mermaid, or rather he has plenty of mermaid blood in him to be able to turn into one.</p><p>Nicolo and Grandmother take turns to share the story of how his parents met, fell in love and lived their entire lives together till the heart-breaking end. How Nicolo's mother had saved his father from a sinking ship attacked by pirates. How they courted one another and eventually had their own ceremony witnessed by Grandmother. How they managed to live a relatively long and fulfilling life together undetected.</p><p>Quynh imagines it must be a relief to share their story and secret to someone outside their immediate family, someone who's very existence is just as peculiar as them, who vows to keep their secret safe just as they would hers.</p><p> </p><p>When she is able to stand up without being overcome by dizziness, Grandmother takes her out of their home through the back and together they would walk slowly arm in arm across the little stretch of beach, well hidden from prying eyes.</p><p>Little by little as she gets used to the gravity and the lack of overwhelming pressure on land, she and Grandmother exchange stories, ranging various topics from places travelled, to battles won and loss, to the most unique cuisines and wines sampled by them respectively. Although Quynh relatively have the most experience between the two of them, it is Grandmother who paints the most entertaining encounters that leave her gasping for air from laughter. </p><p>Quynh luxuriates in the simple act of breathing in clean air and admires the sunrise slowly making its way over the horizon, taking its time rising like how her Andromache would whenever they had that luxury. Grandmother had left her against the shade of a sloping palm tree to prepare some breakfast. From where she sits, she watches as Nicolo prepares himself for his daily routine of hauling his catch from the ocean before setting off to sell his wares in the market later on.</p><p>Nicolo busily puts his fishing net in a little row boat, checks that the rope tied to the anchor is secure and not fraying, before fixing a leather belt with a knife- the same knife he used to pry her out, tucked in its holster around his waist, rather than his pants.</p><p>“I'm assuming that the belt would stay on when you change shape?" she asks haltingly in Genoese. Her Genoese is still abysmal at times but she's slowly getting used to the curl of the language on her tongue.</p><p>"Transform," he corrects, smiling a bit at her over his shoulder before shifting his focus back to the boat. "Yes, it does stay on when I transform, though, unfortunately I can't say the same for the rest of my clothes."</p><p>Quynh continues to watch him as he pushes the boat out to catch the waves, bare feet shifting through the white sand since he couldn't be bothered to wear shoes when he would only be taking them off shortly.</p><p>She once asked him if the stories of mermaids held some truth, whether it hurts him or others like him to walk on land, whether they would dissolve into seafoam if their hearts were to be broken beyond recognition.</p><p>Nicolo merely laughed and answers that not every mermaid cares to go on land, and that even if some were able to shift forms long enough to own a pair of legs, of course it would hurt them to walk since they are not used to using such limbs to move around, having spent a better part of their lives navigating in a different world.</p><p>"It's like suddenly having to use your arms instead of your legs to walk, no?" he says musingly. "Or finding yourself to had sprouted wings one day, without warning and fully form. I can imagine that it would be extremely disorienting and tiring to rely on limbs in a way you never had before.</p><p>"Fortunately for me, I've spent most of my waking life equally between land and sea, so walking to me is just as easy as gliding through the waters."</p><p>"As for the seafoam part of the stories," he continues, staring at the waves lapping at the shore. "It's definitely not true, though like most who suffers from heartbreak, I'm sure plenty of people felt they too could dissolve into the ocean to escape from the weight of their despair."</p><p>She doesn't take her eyes off him until he rows a small distance away from shore, sets the oars and anchor down and begins to strip. She shifts her gaze away out of respect for privacy, though she honestly thinks that Nicolo doesn't really particularly mind. When she turns back she manages to catch the end of the splash left by Nicolo diving into the water.</p><p>A couple of beats later Nicolo's head surfaces above the rolling waves, and from where she is situated she can faintly make out the outline of him waving at her which she returns just as enthusiastically. She can picture the mischievous wink he must have undoubtedly casted at her before diving back below, with his net in tow, and even from afar she could still see the glimpse of his glittering tail darting out of the water for a second.</p><p> </p><p>When she is well enough to walk on her own, Quynh makes the journey to the market to send out letters to addresses she doubts would still be inhabited by her family. After all, it's been a number years since she last saw either Andromache or Yusuf respectively. Though, she still tries, that by some miracle they have not stop searching for her and would somehow receive her letter and come to this wonderful place that is Genova.</p><p>She feels overwhelming tired. Not physically but mentally she feels drain. She feels like the years that she had spent below in the crushing depths had wipe out her spirit clean of energy. She muses that like a great beast, the ocean had digested her indiscriminately and what had been spat out was the mere bare bones of what made her, well her.</p><p>She thinks that a century or more later spent down there would have definitely cost her, her sanity. That any longer spent imprisoned, she would have lost her grip on an essential part of her soul in order to cope with the state she was damned to.</p><p>It's been so long since she and Andromache had settled down somewhere. Always roaming where trouble is, the two of them. It would be nice to take a break in a peaceful country for once.</p><p>"Let them come to me," she thinks. "Andromache would love the desserts here. Yusuf would definitely love the farinata Grandmother makes."</p><p>Once the letters are send off, she stops by Nicolo's stall situated under the cover of a particularly massive fig tree, after circling around the market thrice. She watches him talk animatedly to customers in Genoese and English, his long hair still damp from his swim in the ocean that morning, now twisted up in a knot to keep away from his sweaty neck.</p><p>She helps him pack up and accompanies him when he goes to distribute the leftovers that did not sell to those in need of it, whether it being orphans or struggling families. Watches the way gratefulness shines from their eyes, the way their hands clasped Nicolo's in heartfelt thanks.</p><p>As they make their way back to home, Quynh notices how plenty of women and men alike have stop to double take at the sight of Nicolo, who, like Andromache, is one of those blessed (or cursed, depending on the day) with a striking profile that draws the eye like flies attracted to honey.</p><p>The port is busy enough that she isn't the only foreigner here, that she's not the one who's drawing most of the attention to them.</p><p>In some ways it's relieving that most of the gazes from the people around them are shifted from her to Nicolo like water sliding off a duck's back. That no one is paying her any special kind of interest, especially not suspecting ones looking for damning evidence.</p><p>Suddenly she misses Andromache even more terribly than the usual fierce ache. She longs deeply for her reassuring presence, her expressive eyes looking down at her with overflowing affection accompanied by that wry twist of her mouth. How she longs to kiss that mouth again. </p><p>Something must have changed in either her face or demeanour since Nicolo slows down to nudge her shoulder questioningly.</p><p>Quynh tries to give him a reassuring smile that must have look more like a grimace judging by the raised eyebrow she receives in return. When she continues to say nothing, Nicolo lets it go for the time being and instead asks her if she knows how to hunt game.</p><p> </p><p>Which currently leads them to a small forest a little way off from the port, with Quynh teaching Nicolo how to properly use a bow and arrow which is apparently a family heirloom passed down from his great, great, great grandfather who fought in the first Crusades. </p><p>"Wow, you weren't joking on how terrible you are at this," she teases as Nicolo misses yet again at his still target that is another fig tree. There were as many fig trees as cliffs everywhere here, which is to say plenty.</p><p>Nicolo merely shrugs and jogs a little to retrieve the arrow from where it landed in the lemon shrub well far off from their chosen target.</p><p>"I told you I'm more of a fisherman than a hunter," he says, voice full of mirth as he returns to where she is taking refuge under the shade her own fig tree.</p><p>"Besides, while you are here I would like to learn from the best despite the lack of natural talent on my part," he adds on seriously, not looking at her, instead focusing on notching another arrow. </p><p>The way he says it so casually, that she is the best archer he has- will likely ever meet takes her aback for a moment. It’s probably true, not an exaggeration on her part due to the countless years, decades, centuries she has spent honing her craft. Still it takes her a few heartbeats to remember that any skill could only be improve with enough practice and determination, that natural talent is just a minor supplement. </p><p>Although she herself strains to hold the bow, to endure the tension of the string- after all it's been a while since she held such a weapon in her hands like this, muscle memory gradually trickles in and she finds herself able to maintain her stance and hit her target when it is her turn to demonstrate.</p><p>Nicolo lets out a low whistle every time her arrow finds the centre of the fig tree, eyes appreciative of her expertise. It turns out that Nicolo is more of a visual learner, that he needs to observe her showmanship for a while to get an idea on how to replicate it for himself.</p><p>They spend the entire afternoon peacefully like that, taking turns with the bow. Although Nicolo has much to improve on when it comes to his aim, Quynh finds that the knot in her chest which presence she wasn't even fully aware of has finally started to unravel with each passing second of her realisation- that despite the world moving on without her, nothing can truly wipe away the skills she has spent all of her efforts in refining, that nothing can fully take away the knowledge she has accumulated over the centuries and the good she has done with it. </p><p>Quynh manages to ensnare a hare, watches as Nicolo murmurs a quick apology to it before giving it a quick death by way of twisting its neck. Together they make their trek home, taking their time to admire the twilight settling in around them.</p><p>That night, Grandmother makes a fine stew from their game and together the three of them eat it with bread dipped in olive oil, joking and chatting comfortably at the tiny dining table squeezed in the humble kitchen, overlooking the sea. Sitting between the two of them right there and then, it is the most content feeling Quynh has come to experience for a long time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all for the lovely comments in the previous chapter!!! Apologies for the delay, real life got in the way. I hope this was worth the wait! </p><p>Also, warning for brief descriptions of characters death below.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Quynh cleans out the hare pelt and hangs it out to dry. She plans to turn it into a hat or a scarf of sorts as a gift to Grandmother once it is ready.</p><p>Although Quynh has fully recovered, both Nicolo and Grandmother insist that she is welcome to prolong her stay with them, since she has much more to catch up on the new discoveries, advancements and routes made during her absence.</p><p>While she can of course leave them and Genova anytime she wishes, Quynh finds herself hesitating to do so. She has a niggling feeling deep from her gut that she is meant to stay with this family of two for a little while longer. Whatever the reason may be, she isn't in any rush to depart anytime soon. After all, she has made her vow to wait for Andromache and Yusuf to join her here, trusting in the same power that has led them together in the first place to do the same thing again.</p><p>In the meantime, she busies herself in training and hunting, selling what pelt and meat Grandmother and Nicolo does not need, and giving away the leftovers to those who does. She intends on paying back the kindness they have bestowed on her but that idea is firmly refuse by Grandmother who insist that any decent persons left in this world would have done the same without expecting any sort of payment.</p><p>"Though," she says thoughtfully, "If you could kindly impart some wisdom to Nicolo on how to defend himself properly and escape quickly in the events he may to have resort to such means, that would be lovely, thank you."</p><p>And so, Quynh throws herself into training Nicolo as well, guiding him on how to act when facing multiple assailants at once, how to play dead if necessary and what to do if he is captured.</p><p>Nicolo listens to her retelling her past experiences with rapt attention, brow furrowing at the much harsher and gruesome details of the last encounter she and Andromache had last survived together.</p><p>"The cruelty of men truly knows no bounds," he mutters, after a moment of silence between the two of them. There isn't any pity found in his gaze, just faint anger on her behalf mixed with the helpless sort of frustration at the injustice of it all.</p><p>It was late at night, they were sharing a bottle of leftover wine in the kitchen, the oil lamp on the table casting flickering shadows against the walls. With Grandmother gone to bed, the two of them were free to share whatever secrets they wish to spill among themselves with only the sounds of waves crashing against the shore for them as company.</p><p>"The problem with humanity is that men doesn't live long enough to face the consequences of their actions," Quynh says. "Despite their short lives, they live as though they're immortal, thus most are careless with their actions and words, never fully realising the dire impact they could have onto others."</p><p>"On the contrary, I would say it is precisely because they're aware they have a limited amount of years on this earth," Nicolo replies, after a thoughtful hum. "That many are desperate to be remembered one way or another, or that they wish to make most of their short lifespan, damned the rest who have to endure once they're gone." </p><p>"That too, I suppose," Quynh says. "Whatever the reason may be, the nature of men remains the same wherever I go, despite centuries passing, the hunger for needless conflict is still prevalent in later generations," she takes a sip of wine. "I guess that is the curse of humanity. Where there is peace, there would be conflict, either brewing or it has started at somewhere else."</p><p>"But that is what you and your family find for, yes?" Nicolo looks at her with searching eyes. "All of you search out these conflicts and end them so that there could be peace once more."</p><p>"Yes we do," Quynh says and then sighs. "But it is rarely that simple. Even if we do managed to end these battles, the aftermath is still all the same. Horrifying. Soul-destroying. Whatever you want to call it. Whoever remains would have to pick up the pieces that is left after the devastation. Most often, the later generations are still trying to build up from the scraps inherited from their parents and then for one reason or another, there's conflict again.</p><p>"Although, I admit, sometimes that reason for conflict is for a good cause. Sometimes, what counts for 'peace' for some might not be for others," Quynh continues. "Certain conflicts are necessary because years of 'peace' might have been years of torment for some and it is only right for those who have suffered under their oppressors or through an unjust system to fight back when other means, however diplomatic, have failed them."</p><p>Quynh knocks back the remains of the wine in her cup. "But hell, what do I know? I'm just an old woman who's been lying under the ocean longer than Jesus was alive. For all I know, humanity might have changed enough in the meantime to surprise me," she chuckles darkly.</p><p>Nicolo refills her cup and continues to sip at his own wine at a more leisure pace. After a long moment he says without looking at her, "I felt you die, you know." </p><p>At that, Quynh sits up straight from her slouched position in her chair but Nicolo is steadily avoiding eye contact with her.</p><p>"I dreamt of you drowning over and over again. I felt your desperation and despair of being trapped there for so long." Quynh could see that his eyes were wet now.</p><p>"I never thought I would experience the sensation of drowning," he laughs wetly, rubbing at his chest.</p><p>'Ahh, because he's a mermaid,' Quynh thinks, feeling a bit bewildered. She could feel her heart speeding up in her rib cage.</p><p>"I spent months combing the ocean floor, looking for you. It was the only thing I could focus on, after my parents' deaths."</p><p>At this Quynh no longer held herself back and took his hand into her own. "Nicolo," she says, waiting until he looks up at her.</p><p>"Nicolo, what do you mean? When exactly did you start dreaming of me?"</p><p>Nicolo sits back in his chair as if deflated. After taking a deep breath he begins haltingly, "My father died alone in an alleyway. He was gutted like a fish all for a few coins which he would have given away freely. My mother sensed his death, even far apart in the ocean and was inconsolable for weeks. She wouldn't rest until she found those responsible and have her reckoning."</p><p>Nicolo shudders and continues softly. "I helped her tracked down those men responsible to a small ship. My mother managed to lure them overboard but a couple of the crew members saw her and started firing at us. The next thing I knew, I woke up with blood in my mouth and my mother and all of the crew dead."</p><p>Tears were freely streaming down his face now. Quynh squeezes his hand both in comfort and in encouragement to finish his story.</p><p>"A part of me knows that this is how my mother would have wanted to go, since she could not depart at the same time as my father, she would gladly die avenging him," he croaks. "But still, I can't help wonder if I could have stop her from meeting her end like that, though Grandmother tells me that she would have found them eventually on her own."</p><p>"She would most likely have, with or without your help, given from what I've heard of her," Quynh says, not unkindly.</p><p>Nicolo lets out a weak laugh and says, "Still, I wish we had more time together."</p><p>"It's not just you that I dreamt," he continues after a while, rubbing his eyes with the back of his free hand. "Grandmother doesn’t know this but I've been dreaming of another man and woman for months around the same time I started seeing you in my sleep. At least the visions of you drowning have stopped but I can't say the same for them, even if it comes and goes."</p><p>Quynh who already has a feeling that Nicolo isn't just some mermaid but rather he might be another being like her and Andromache and Yusuf, judging by the dreams and the fact he was the sole survivor of such a bloodshed, squeezes his hand once more in excitement. Before explaining to him so, she has pressing questions that needs to be answered first. </p><p>"This man and woman, what did they look like and where do you think they are?" </p><p> </p><p>Quynh awaits her family's arrival at the docks early enough in the morning that it is still dark out and the stars are visible. The only ones up and about are her and a couple of drunken stragglers mulling over the place.</p><p>For days after Nicolo's revelation, she has been restless, unable to focus much on her self-imposed tasks. Judging from Nicolo's descriptions, she could tell that Andromache and Yusuf are close, that they commandeered a ship of their own and they were still searching for her after all of these years.</p><p>Quynh woke up earlier that morning with the absolute feeling today was the day, that her presence would be a welcome sight at the docks. Silently, she slipped out of the house and made her way over to where the ships were berthed.</p><p>From where she stands, she has an unobstructed view of those few walking down the pier after disembarking from their anchored ships.</p><p>Several lifetimes later, she spots two familiar silhouettes treading tiredly down the walkway, weariness obvious with every step their gait takes them.</p><p>Sucking in a deep breath, Quynh discovers the names of her beloved and her found brother stuck in her throat, finding herself overcome with the magnitude of her relief and longing surfacing at the sight of them. Without wasting a moment, she quickly paves her way to them, like an arrow released from its notch, arching through the air and finding its target.</p><p>When she is close enough to hear them but still within out of arm's reach, she finds herself stumbling from the uneven footpath, cursing at the obstacles, no matter how small, for prolonging her desire for a well-deserved reunion.</p><p>With their backs turn to her, Quynh manages to overcome the knot in her throat and lets out a deafening "Andromache!” startling a nearby drunkard from his stupor.</p><p>The figures that makes up her family both freeze at the same time the moment her beloved's name left her lips, with Yusuf whipping his head around to look at her, joyful surprise mixed with disbelief clear on his face.</p><p>"Quynh," he whispers, his eyes beginning to tear up.</p><p>Andromache is slower to respond, her shoulders tensing as if to brace herself for a blow. Slowly, she turns around and meets her eyes.</p><p>Quynh's heart breaks again for what feels like the millionth time in her long life at the wretched expression her sun holds. Quynh could see, clear as light as day, that Andromache has been suffering in her own way during her absence. She could see it in the careful way she holds herself, as if this was a dream and the realisation would shatter her yet again beyond recognition.</p><p>But this is not a dream and Quynh knows that Andromache knows it too, from the way her eyes roam over her face and the rest of her being, as if checking her for injuries that wouldn't heal. Quynh doesn't fault her for that since she's doing the same thing to her, taking in the obvious physical changes her love has come to bear during their time apart.</p><p>She notes the manly attire Andromache dons with a well worn ease, the way her hair is now shorn short, baring the curve of her neck and exposing the sharp jut of her jaw. Years and a literal ocean apart, Andromache is still the most breathtaking being she knows.</p><p>Judging from the way Andromache's lips have parted and the pure awe in her eyes, eyes that have never once release its gaze on her, it would seem that Andromache echoes the same sentiment for her.</p><p>Finally, after what feels like a century of just staring at each other, Andromache takes a step forward just as Quynh does and like all things they do together, they eventually meet in the middle.</p><p>The strength of which Andromache holds her takes her breath away in the best way possible. She in return wounds her arms around her sides and buries her head against that exposed neck, drowning herself in that familiar musky scent, feeling all the tension surrounding her loosening bit by bit.</p><p>Quynh couldn't resist sneaking in a kiss to those lips she had dreamt a hundred times before, tasting that comforting warmth that has been a familiar companion for thousands of years.</p><p>At that moment in time, nothing, absolutely nothing, can tear them apart.</p><p> </p><p>Quynh takes her family to the house that has been her home for weeks, taking her time in telling them stories about Nicolo and Grandmother, how he had found and subsequently freed her and her general way of life since that fateful day. She indulges herself in just simply being with the two of them, basking in their presence as she talks, occasionally knocking her shoulders with one or the other as she walks between them.</p><p>It seems like Andromache and Yusuf are content in listening to her speak for now, both still taking in the tale of the miracle that lead the three of them to their reunion. Throughout the journey, not once did Andromache's gaze has stray away from her. Quynh finds that something warm has bloom in her chest under that unwavering attention.</p><p>Once they arrive at the house, Yusuf drifts off to the kitchen at the back, giving her and Andromache much needed privacy after kissing the top of her head and squeezing her in elation one more time. Grandmother is currently away, spending the night and morning after in one of her friend's house. Nicolo is also absent, presumably partaking in his morning swim.</p><p>When it is just the two of them, Quynh leans in for another soul-searing kiss but her attempts are halted with Andromache taking her face in her hands, callous palms cupping each side of her cheeks so tenderly that Quynh feels like she could cry from the overwhelming love she feels for the other woman.</p><p>Andromache seems to be lost for words, unable to do anything besides memorising every inch of her expression. When Quynh turns her head to kiss Andromache's palm, she inhales sharply and gives in to press their lips together, savouring each other’s warmth.</p><p>After a long moment, she leans back just enough to press her forehead against hers, eyes close as she whispers, "I'm so sorry," and "I thought I lost you forever," and "I've never stop looking for you, all these years I've never stop."</p><p>Quynh shushes her gently, swaying them side to side to the rhythm of their heartbeats, a dance familiar to them and them alone.</p><p>"I know," Quynh whispers back over and over again. It would take them a long time to recover from this, to accept and move on from the heavy weight of the years of separation and the circumstances that led to it. For now though, they have each other and that is enough.</p><p> </p><p>When they had their fill of each other, they walk hand in hand to the kitchen and are met with the sight of Yusuf standing still as a statue, eyes wide and jaw slack at the view beyond the window.</p><p>From where Quynh stands, she could see Nicolo through the slit of the curtains, the muslin cloth fluttering along the gentle breeze from the ocean.</p><p>White shirt partially unbuttoned, going slowly translucent from the water Nicolo didn't bother to wipe off when he got dressed, it seems that Nicolo only noticed Yusuf when he was midway wringing water from his hair, eyes widening and hands going still in his tangled spool of gold. </p><p>Quynh nudges Yusuf over with her shoulder and waves enthusiastically at Nicolo. Nicolo returns the wave back, albeit hesitantly.</p><p>When he finally strides over into the house, Quynh doesn't waste a second more to introduce everyone to one another. Nicolo understandably looks dazed throughout the entire introduction, not used to having so many people intruding his home at once. Though, Quynh notices that Yusuf isn't fairing any better- not once has he taken his eyes of Nicolo since he entered the room.</p><p>Nicolo snaps out from his daze a bit when Andromache steps forward to clasp his hands in heartfelt thanks, gratefulness dripping from every word uttered for rescuing and taking in Quynh.</p><p>Nicolo hastily insist, "it was no problem," and "it was the right thing to do," and "really, no thanks required."</p><p>Eventually, the four of them settle down at the small table there, taking in the familiar and the new, slowly finding the rhythm that they would carry amongst themselves for the next century or two.</p><p>It was the sight of them bending over from laughing at one of Yusuf's terrible jokes that Grandmother was greeted to, when she arrived home later that afternoon to prepare lunch. Suffice to say, the manner which she welcomed her two new guests was just as she welcomed Quynh, which is to say wholeheartedly and without any reservations.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them silently agree to linger in the port city until the time comes for them to move on, hopefully with Nicolo in tow.</p><p>Quynh has moved out from Grandmother's house to stay with Andromache in a small cottage near the woods whereas Yusuf has taken over the spare bedroom she once occupied.</p><p>When Andromache and her aren't busy familiarising themselves with each other again, they spent it working and relaxing with the rest of their little family. Nicolo seems happy enough to accept the other two immortals into his life without further questions. Whatever hesitation he could have felt, he hides it well from them. Even Grandmother commented on it, remarking how at ease he is with them when he would otherwise maintain a polite distance with strangers.</p><p>"He's less reserve now ever since he met you and your family," she observes one day, watching Nicolo listen to Yusuf retelling the first time he died. Together, they watch how raptly Nicolo's eyes track the way Yusuf's hands gesture in the air, punctuating how he was shot in the throat by a stray arrow when he was defending Jerusalem from siege.</p><p>Grandmother seems to be deep in thought when Quynh turns back to her. After a while she says, "I'm glad he has found kindred spirits in you three, that he's not alone as he thought he was," earnestness and relief evident in her voice.</p><p>Quynh wordlessly takes her aged hand into hers, squeezing it gently but firmly as she promises softly, “we will take care of him as long as he allows us to. He will never have a reason to feel loneliness again."</p><p>Grandmother squeezes her hand back as she replies with a shaky but sincere thank you. After that, for a long time, the two of them silently sit there under the shade of the sloping palm tree, content to let the world past by them.</p><p> </p><p>Over the next few weeks, Quynh notices that Yusuf has slowly become... lighter in a sense.</p><p>With each passing day, she watches as the shadows beneath his eyes fade away, that almost every moment spend with Nicolo has his entire face and demeanour in a perpetual state of amusement and even happiness so genuine that it takes her back for a moment when she finally realises what the expression is. After decades of knowing him, fighting, surviving alongside with him, it breaks her heart a bit knowing that it took him so long to find this kind of peace that she and Andromache had always share between themselves.</p><p>Quynh was always aware that Yusuf had a soul of an artist and a scholar. Throughout the years Quynh had known him, he always gave affection freely without any reservation, noted and pointed out the little things in life worth relishing in and protected those in need of it, providing a safe shelter in his presence.</p><p>Quynh thinks that it is about time he found someone to share his warmth with and be adored in return.</p><p>She wishes fiercely then and there, after watching them bicker playfully at one another while fixing fishing nets, that the pair would continue to find solace in each other for a long time more.</p><p> </p><p>While Quynh detests the excuse that plenty of people tend to spout about to either placate themselves or others- that some things are meant to happen for an inexplicable reason, one way or another; a part of her, the hopeful, optimistic place within her that has not been swept away by the ocean currents wonders maybe, just maybe, whether there was some good that came out from her imprisonment.</p><p>After all, it has led Nicolo in finding his personal sun in Yusuf and she reuniting with her's.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So uhh, in case it wasn't clear, basically I have an idea that some mermaids have extra~ abilities besides shifting forms (hence, Nicolo's mom being able to sense her husband from so far away) and I guess immortality is Nicky's. </p><p>Anyways, thank you for reading! Stay safe!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Part 2 coming soon~</p></blockquote></div></div>
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